After taking a pretty big and unexpected swing in Round 1, things sort of got back to normal for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Taking Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 pick meant passing up some great defensive talent, but it turns out that the gamble was worth it.
Tampa Bay drafted Notre Dame star cornerback Benjamin Morrison with the No. 53 pick, landing someone with first-round talent a day later. It's a bit of a steal for the Bucs, and it helps fill a key position of need with a potentially elite player.
It's also a move that reunites Todd Bowles with an old friend.
Todd Bowles shares a special connection with second-round pick Benjamin Morrison
Among the notable things about the Bucs drafting Morrison is the fact that Bowles will now coach the son of a former teammate. He played with Benjamin's dad, Darryl, when the two were with Washington in the late 80s.
Three decades later and Bowles is once again on the same sideline as a Morrison, this time as his coach.
Also, Morrison's father Darryl was a teammate of #Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles in Washington. https://t.co/UDQXsdP1Lo
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 26, 2025
That wasn't the only notable thing about the Bucs drafting Morrison.
He was originally someone who looked like he might get selected in the first-round, but sort of fell off out of nowhere. It turns out a hip injury got flagged by some teams, one that Morrison said caused him to essentially be forgotten about.
Not by the Bucs, though, who add him to a secondary that badly needs a boost.
Last year Tampa Bay once again ran into depth issues at cornerback, something that was amplified by the lack of a pass rush. Zyon McCollum stepped up as CB1, but Jamel Dean battled injuries -- again -- and there wasn't any reliable depth behind him.
Now that Morrison is in the picture, he'll provide exactly that.
The fact that he's dealing with an injury already isn't ideal, but the upside he presents is tremendous. In an ideal world, McCollum continues to ascend while Morrison elevates to a CB2 role alongside Dean.
Even if that doesn't happen next year, the Bucs are likely going to let Dean walk in free agency in 2026 which makes Morrison's selection even more important.
Of course, a theme with the Bucs has been how tightly-knit the organization is from top-to-bottom. It seems everyone has developed a special bond over the last few years, which makes total sense why the connection Morrison has with Bowles fits the vibes in Tampa Bay.
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